The Ten Dragon Rings
by Ruby Heartfillia
Summary: Lucy feels that she has been neglected by her guild mates. Loke feels her pain and decides that she shouldn't be in this toxic environment any more so he takes the initiative and makes her leave the guild. In a fit of rage, Lucy ends up losing her keys. Desperate, she takes off on a journey to find them and fix her mistake. (Rated T to be safe)
1. Saying Goodbye

**The Ten Dragon Rings Chap 1** : Saying Goodbye

 **Third Person P.o.V**

A young blonde by the name Lucy Heartfillia was sitting at her desk writing a letter to her mother, like she did every night.

 _Dear Mom,_

 _It's been a month, mom. Do you think that they'll notice me yet? Even Master has been ignoring me and I have to steal missions to be able to pay my rent, since Mira won't acknowledge my presence. It hurts, it really does. I just want them to start talking to me again and tell me that this is all just a sick joke. I can't take it anymore. I would rather have cold glares from them other that nothing. Just silence. Do I mean so little to them?! All of the times we spent together, the enemies and the friends we've encountered! For them does it really mean nothing?_ Tears leaked out o her eyes and onto the page as she continued to write _I just... I can't take it anymore! Is it because I'm weak! Do I complain too much! All I want is an explanation why at this point. I don't even know why I'm still in this guild, they clearly don't want me here but... I'm still hanging on, still hoping that they'll talk to me again... As I write this, I realize how stupid of a dream that is. I... I don't know what I should do, should I listen to my spirits and leave or..._ Lucy let out a shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to banish the thoughts from her head but knew that it was impossible _I wish you were hear mom. So you could tell me what I should do. You always had your way with words and knew how to make me feel better. Thanks for listening,_

 _Your less-positive-than-normal-daughter, Lucy_

The blonde leaned back on her chair, taking a few calming breaths before sitting normally again and folding the letter to put it in the box with all her other letters. Nowadays her letters had become more and more depressing. It wasn't her fault really, she just couldn't take this loneliness anymore and had to find and outlet, and that became the letters she wrote to her mother along with her novel. Her book in question had taken a very dark turn, the main character being betrayed by her friends and forced into captivity by the villain. Lucy shook her head and stood up. Being at that desk all the time wasn't healthy. She grabbed her coat and keys, deciding to take a walk even though it was in the middle of the night. Luckily, she was still wearing her day clothes. She left, shutting the door behind her and walking out into the night.

The moon shone brightly above her, illuminating her path. She had no idea where she was going really, she just let her feet take her wherever they wanted. She smiled a bit seeing the stars but it quickly disappeared when she remembers the countless nights she spent under the stars with her team, trying to teach them the constellations and how to spot them along with their story. She felt tears burn at the back of her eyes but she kept them back and continued to walk, trying to distract herself with the cold night air. She was currently walking to the edge of Mongolia. The houses became less and less common and the shops now nonexistent as she neared the trees at the edge of her town. The stone road had now became a dirt path as she entered the forest and, by the time she realized where she was going, she had arrived at the top of a cliff overseeing the sea.

Lucy sat down at the spot she arrived in and removed her coat, it wasn't that cold anyways. She stared blankly at the waves as they violently crashed into the rocks below. She felt her keys tingle and her lion spirit appeared beside her. "Lucy..." He started but she cut him off by patting the spot next to her "Sit" He complied without a word. The two sat in silence, listing to the sounds the night had to offer. After a while, Loke couldn't bare keep silent

"Lucy. You need to stop doing this to yourself. They... They forgot you and you need to accept that and move on. Even if that means leaving the guild."

"Loke-"

"No! You're only hurting yourself by being here! It hurts to see your master stay in a situation where she clearly isn't happy and not being able to do anything about it. You haven't even told anyone in other guilds, I'm sure they'll let you join and knock some sense into them-"

"I don't want to join another guild! I'm sure that they'll remember me if-"

"Lucy! You're just hanging onto false hope and you know it! Listen to yourself!" The man let out a breath and combed his hair back with one of his hands,

"Virgo is packing you're stuff in the spirit world. We're leaving at the end of this week and that's final"

"WHAT! You can't just do that-"

"We've decided that it's for the best. You'll thank us later" and with that he disappeared.

"Loke" She shouted after him, angry that they made the decision for her, like she was just some child who couldn't do anything for herself. She screamed out in rage at that thought. In one swift movement she ripped her keys off her belt and threw them into the sea. Stomping off afterwards, only to realize a split second too late what she did. Her lips were parted in shock, spinning on her heels and rushing back to the cliff muttering "No" over and over again. Her words raised in volume as she ran down a step path to reach sea level and soon she was screaming as she tried to find her keys on the surface of the water. She almost jumped in the water but realized that if she did, she would be reaching an untimely death only moments later. There was no way for her to retrieve her keys (if they weren't already washed away) without sacrificing herself. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she reached her hand in to see if she could find them that way. She hesitated again, before jumping into the water, further enough so she didn't crash into the rocks. She dived into the water, her eyes burning from the salt. Her hands brushed against the water as her eyes scanned what little she could though the water. Her lungs begged for air and she was forced to go to the surface again. She only let herself have a second to breath before going under again.

This went on for hours, her futilely searching the water she presumably dropped them in, her body becoming weaker and weaker as time ticked by. As the sun started to rise her body started to pass out on her. She swam to the side to the place she originally jumped off of, planning to stand up on it and check where else they could've gone, and promptly passed out.

 _In one day all my guild mates ignored me and one month later I betray the only people who have always been there for me and lose my magic. After I find them I'll give them to Yukino, she would never hurt them like this. I'm no better than Angel, Karen and the countless other abusive masters._

 **CHAP END! I did it, tell me what you think and I have a few things I want to say before I finish: Yes I know that Lucy or Loki would never do that but put yourself in their shoes, Loke has been watching his Master suffer for a long time, unable to do anything so he along with the other spirits decide to save their Master from heartbreak and take her far away from the people who hurt her and even if she was upset with them at first, she would be happier in the long run away from the bad environment. Now for Lucy, for her whole life she has been treated as less by her father and about to be used as a way he could selfishly gain money by marrying her off. So she leaves and finds a guild who she thought loved her and was there for her, then they suddenly ignore her and make her feel like crap and a month later she's betrayed and had her opinion disregarded by the people who she thought trusted her judgment and treated like a child who couldn't think for herself. When she threw her keys, she didn't realize that there was a cliff so close to her, caught up in her anger, so she threw the keys away from her and they fell in the sea. And for why Team Natsu and Fairy Tail are ignoring her, you'll just have to find out :3**

 **Note: If you haven't figured out yet, I don't own Fairy Tail or it's characters because it I did then Lucy would have left on a journey to get stronger already and Gray would confess to Juvia and they would be engaged.**

 **Ruby Heartfillia**


	2. Finding Them

**Chap 2:** Finding Them

For the next couple of days Lucy worked tirelessly to find them, only to come up blank. She hadn't ate or left the scene since she threw them in the sea. She had coin sized bags under her eyes and had become very tired and fragile, considering she was swimming against a powerful current. After some debating she realized that it was no use looking on her own like this. She needed a plan or at least some rest and food. There had to be a spell for lost objects. Nodding to herself she climbed out of the water and onto the rock, panting as usual. She had stopped sweating about two days ago, her body to able to produce enough water for it, so instead she panted like a dog. Which was embarrassing and ineffective for gaining her energy. She shook and stumbled as she walked up the stairs, her lack of eating taking a toll on her body, it only made it worst that she was in freezing temperatures for most of the day.

Steeling her resolve she made it up the stairs and walked through the forest, though not before taking her abandoned jacket with her and wrapping it around her tightly. She relished in its warmth. The sun was close to setting so she picked up the pace, jogging lightly. Only to regret it immediately after as the world spun and she lost her balance, making her fall ungracefully. As black spots almost filled her vision again she debated whether she should fight it or not, after all she was betrayed herself she trusted and then did the same to her spirits. Maybe she should just let it happen and pass away. After all, since the incident she was one hundred percent sure that no one cared, no one will look for her, and that some people will probably be happy at her death. "No" She mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper "I won't give up. I won't leave abandon them again. I'll find them and give them to a good master. I... I can't let them live the rest of their lives in the sea in the middle of nowhere. They don't deserve that" She stood up shakily, her voice now audible to the outside world "I won't give up. I'll find them!" She clenched her fist, tears freely flowing out of her eyes.

"Man I'm a crybaby" She said. Taking off again she made sure to not jog or run, after all, what use could she be to her spirits if she was dead.

XXX

After one long hour she finally made it back to Central Mongolia, where her house was. She had her coat hood up so on one could she her face, but that didn't change the fact that he was soaking wet. People steered clear from her, making an almost bubble of empty people even in the busy town. It relieved her but at the same time made her heart clench. Yes she didn't want people near her but at the same time, this felt cruel. Not like she had any room to talk. She made it home and all but broke her door down in her haste to get in, her eyes widening as she saw her apartment. Everything was gone, minus her bed and desk. Except everything on her desk was gone and her cover and pillow disappeared. Great, she couldn't help the bitterness fill up inside her. At least Virgo left her novel and the letters she had to her mother. And, on her desk, there was a small black velvet box. Curious, she wobbled over to her desk and carefully picked up the object. Sitting down on removing the lid, she blinked in surprise.

It was a beautiful silver ring with a large sapphire in the mouth of a well crafted silver dragon. It was incredibly detailed piece, she could even see the scales lightly carved in the ring. It had 2 blue opal gems for eyes. The dragon had no tail nor a body, it was only a head that transitioned into the rest of the ring. It seemed to glow with an unfamiliar and unearthly light. It was probably an antique from an old temple, which made her wonder, _Why is this at my house? I didn't own anything like this back at my old home. Loke would probably know what this is but..._

She gulped, her heart plummeting once more. Right Loke. She took a deep breath and stood up again, leaving her desk to go to the kitchen. Her plan was to eat then go to the nearest magic shop and find a lost item tracker. Then she would find her keys then give them to Yukino. She didn't really have a plan on what to do after that. Maybe learn a new magic, become a freelancer like before or just quit the life of a mage entirely. She probably was going to continue to use magic but she would never even think about using celestial magic after this. After all, what right did she have to wield the power of the stars after this, after hurting her spirits like this. "I just... I don't know anymore" She whispered in a pained voice, because it was true. She was just a lost girl like she had been her whole life. Trying to find a place where she belonged. Maybe she was destined to be alone anyways. Every time things seemed to be taking a turn for the better, something happens so she's isolated again.

The blonde frowned as she stared blankly at her empty fridge. She currently had no money, no magic, and her fridge was empty so she had no food. Fantastic pace to start her journey, no? Well, at least there was water from the sink. She opened her cupboard and almost screamed in frustration. It was completely empty, no a cup or plate in sight. She ended up just using her hands to drink. After wards she finally felt the tiredness she had pushed back for days hit her over the head like a tsunami. She wobbled over to her bed and promptly fell asleep, not caring about the lake of comfort.

 _I better off sleep, I mean what use would I be if I was dead. Tomorrow I'll try and complete a mission, without my keys, but hey I still have my whip right? At least I think so, I haven't looked for it. Maybe Virgo took it along with the rest of my stuff. Virgo... Don't worry I'll get you out of the mess I made!_

 **Done! It's so satisfying finishing another chapter. And within the same week too! So happy! I'm going to keep this short so tell me what you think by reviewing. It really helps a lot so I would really appreciate it.**

 **Ruby Heartfillia**


	3. Getting Ready

**Chap 3:** Getting Ready

The rays of sun filtered in though a young blonde mage's window waking her from her slumber. Weakly, she tried to put her arm over her eyes to return to darkness but she soon realized it was hopeless from the amount of energy it took to even move her hand an inch. She groaned and clenched her eyes shut "Why" She drawled out and sat up, almost losing consciousness as she did so. Holding her head she tried to make the world stop spinning so she could get up and go to the guild. She waited for a few seconds to gain her bearings and when her mind calmed down, got up and made her way to the bathroom. The barren place had none of her stuff in it. This forced her to leave the house in the same clothes as yesterday and no make-up. Not like she really cared about her appearance anymore, it wasn't like someone was going to notice her walking down the street, or greet her at the guild... Moving on. The thing that did bother her a bit was the lack of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. She just hoped that rinsing would be enough for now. The rest of her morning became a blur. She had stumbled in her shower countless times, drank again from her sink and wobbled her way to the guild. How she made it there without tripping was a mystery to her. She barely managed to push the heavy Fairy Tail doors open and she was all but exhausted by the time she made it to the job board. She wondered _If I'm already ready to pass out by the time I reach the Job board then how am I going to do a_ mission?She sighed and quickly scanned the job board for safe missions but sadly, there was nothing _'_ _Well I just have to try my luck on a dangerous one. Erg! Why does the world hate me!'_ Lucy scowled and took a simple mission. A rouge mage terrorizing a village in need of help. She could do that... Probably.

She stumbled out of the guild, job paper in hand. People stared at her as she walked by, well, that was to be expected since every so often she would almost fall and lose consciousness. No one had approached her though so they didn't actually care, they just thought that she was crazy. Great she had another thing to add to the things wrong in her life, as if it wasn't long enough as it is. The mage noticed that it was already getting dark. Did she spend the whole day walking to and from the guild. She hoped not. After all, she had a mission to do tomorrow. Hey, on the bright side, she didn't have to pack a suitcase. On the not so bright side, she was walking to the village.

By the time she was home, the sun was setting and people had already gone home for the night. The girl opened her door and made her way inside, careful to not trip on her own two feet while making it to the kitchen. Speaking of her apartment, what was she going to do for her rent. The month was up in a week and she had no money, nor a team to go on missions on _'_ _Maybe I should leave like they wanted, after all they're most likely are in the middle of the ocean by now so better off staying here till the end of the month and then leaving to find them than staying here in a place where no one cares about me.'_ She brushed off her thoughts and went to the bathroom to take a shower. The rest of the night was uneventful, she took a shower, drank in the sink again, tried to write to her mother but realized that she didn't have a pen so she just called it a night and went to bed.

* * *

The next day Lucy woke up with a start, her breathing uneven and her fragile heart pounding. She presumed that it was a dream but for the life of her couldn't remember what it was. All she knew was that it had scared her to the core so now she was wheezing and all but paralysed with an unknown fear. What a great way to start the day. She weakly pushed herself up into a sitting position and held her heart with one hand. She struggled to control her breathing, squeezing her eyes shut as tears leaked out of her eyes. She tried to concentrate on something else but the piercing fear in her heart but came up blank. What was there to think about other than the train wreck of a lie she has right now. And her lack of food wasn't helping either. _I could take from the guild hall..._ She shook her head and tried to rid herself from those thoughts. No, she was stronger than that and she wouldn't resort to stealing from her guild members. She stood up and wobbled her way to the bathroom, a nice hot soak could help her recollect her thoughts and ready herself for the mission she has planned.

Turns out that when you're low of nutrition, it wasn't a good idea to take a hot bath. Throughout her head hurt and she was exhausted afterwards. Not like this was a new feeling nowadays. She had washed the other clothes to the best of her ability and then left them to dry. It was only afterwards did she notice that the was no towel for her to dry off. How she didn't notice before was beyond her. So Lucy ended up staying in the bathroom an extra half hour for her clothes to dry so she could slip them on and leave. After that she searched around the barren place for her whip, only to leave for the village empty handed. She took all of her belongings with her, after all, there was a chance that she would find the item she's looking for in the village and leave directly from there in search of her keys. While she was searching for her whip before, she found and old rucksack that Virgo didn't see when she took all her stuff. Sadly, she didn't find her whip when she left with her remaining belongings, yet another disadvantage she has. How fun. So she set off on her journey determined to finish the job as fast as possible and find her keys.

 _I'll find you. Don't worry, I'll try and make up for what I've done. Hopefully, when this is done with, you can forgive me. Even if I can't forgive myself. Just hang on._

 **Chap done! Yes, This was a filler but I needed to put it in to show her final moments in Mongolia, for now anyways. So don't forget to review I really want to know what you guys think and even if you hear this a lot, it helps a lot when you review. Anyway  
Adios**

 **Ruby Heartfillia**


	4. New Spirits

**Chap 4:** New Spirits

Two days. Two long days on the road. Two more days spent starving. How fun. Currently she was just in front of the village, feet aching and stomach constantly grumbling. The place was a lot smaller than she thought it was, it probably having just over 1,000 people. Upon entering, she was greeted by the mayor of the village. He was a tall, burly man with hard features and dark blue eyes. His light brown hair stuck out in some places but on others, stuck to the sides of his face. He was maybe in his mid twenties, His eyes shone with excitement at her entry. He hurriedly pushed her to his office while explaining the situation. It was odd how he was so cheery about this but the blonde immediately shoved that thought away, he was probably just happy that a mage was there to help.

"So, we don't have much information on him but from the testimonies of his victims, he wears a black cloak and only appears at night. He also only steals magical items and-"

"Wait, hold on. Why would he steal magical items from this town. No offence but there are a lot more places where magical items are abundant, like Crocus for example"

The mayor, whose name was Tadashi, tilted his head to the side, before laughing and saying "What are you talking about? This town is known for making magical items and selling them to cities across the globe. In fact, most holder magic's where created here"

"Eh! I had no idea" She exclaimed, her brown eyes wide in shock He smiled again" Yep. It's a good thing that you didn't know about this because the village had decided that they wanted this information to be a secret because, if it was widespread knowledge then we would have a lot more rouge mages terrorizing this town"

"So that's why the reward was so high" She blurted out. Tadashi nodded "We needed a mage here as soon as possible so we had to put a high reward" She felt guilt eat at her gut at those words. She had no magic and here she was, making him think that she stood a chance against this guy and could actually help. "Hey, you okay" He must of noticed her change in attitude because he put a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked at her with worry "Y-Yeah I'm just a bit tired and-" She was cut off as her stomach growled loudly, making him laugh.

"How about you have dinner here tonight and tomorrow you look for this dark mage, it's useless trying to fight on an empty stomach"

"T-Thanks" The blonde mumbled, a light bush coating her cheeks. "Ha ha, No problem" He stood up and left the room. She shifted in her spot, uncomfortable at the thought of being left alone _'Not like this is new or anything'_. Lucy looked around the office, finally realizing how extravagant it was compared to other professional environments.

The desk was made of glass and silver with gold designs carved in its legs. The chair was black leather studded in black opals with a silver rim. He had next to nothing on his desk, only a few small stacks of paper and a silver pen with a fairly large diamond on the end. _'This must have costed a fortune'_. The chair she was sitting on, along with the one the mayor was sitting in was made of red velvet with pure gold head rests and legs. It was also studded with rubies. It almost completely contrasted the desk, one being made with sleek, cold colours and the other made with comfy warm colours. She also noticed that the floor was divided in two as well. Where she was currently had a fluffy white carpet and the floor near the desk was black glass tiles. The she saw the glass divider. _'It must be two separate rooms'_ She thought. She turned behind her to see to large oak wood book shelves behind her and they, again, were rimmed in pure gold with an assortment of red gems studding it.

"Miss Heartfillia, dinner is ready so please make your way back downstairs to the dining room" A maid wearing a traditional black and white outfit bowed at the door, her black hair done up in a bun. Lucy nodded and stood up

"Thank you, I'll be down in a minute" The maid nodded and left. She breathed out as the other girl left.

"I better go" She muttered, then made her way over to the door. The short trip to the dining room was spent looking at the walls and all the beautiful paint paintings the mayor had. The man had good taste. The drawings ranged from portraits of famous figures to interact landscapes. She stared at them in awe, but didn't stop walking. She couldn't afford to be late.

* * *

The dinner went well. It was filled with small talk and him giving some extra details about the mission. What she should have expected though was the dreaded question about her magic. In all honesty, it had completely caught her off guard. What was she supposed to say? So she told him the truth. The horrible thing she had done to her spirits, with tears running down her face. When she finished her log monologue, she expected him to yell at her. Get angry over fact that she had lost ten of the twelve Zodiac or about how she had betrayed her spirits by _throwing them off ledge_. No. Instead the man, sat down next to her and hugged her. _Hugged her_. She doesn't remember the last time another human had done that to her. So before he knew it, she was bawling her eyes out. Because she was weak and could never stop crying.

Moving on.

After the blonde blurted out her entire life story to a complete stranger, he told her that she could borrow some silver keys and have whip so she could fight again. Of course, she was reluctant to say the lease, she had promised herself that she would never use keys again, and, with what she did who in their right mind would trust her with them. After Lucy had voiced her concerns, he had shook his head and laughed. _Laughed_. Was he crazy!? After that he had said something that she would remember for a long time,

" _Everyone makes mistakes in life, but that doesn't mean that they have to pay for them the rest of their life. Sometimes good people make bad choices. It doesn't mean that their bad, it means that their human_ , so don't let your mistake rule your life. The best you can do is try to make up for it, even if that means going back on your word. Your spirits _will_ forgive you for this, but you won't be able to save them if you don't use your magic. If there's one thing they won't forgive you for, it's _throwing yourself in unnecessary danger when there was a much better and safer route to get them_. Now, where were we..."

When he finished his speech, Tadashi had just continued the conversation like it was an everyday thing. He had continued to talk about the spirits he was going to give her and where the rouge mage was last found.

So here she was now, sitting on her bed in her temporary room, looking at the 5 new temporary silver keys that she had for her mission. She was almost scared of opening them. What if they knew about what she had done? Taking a deep breath, Lucy picked up the closest one to her and took a closer look at it. Felix, The Gate of The Phoenix. He uses Fire magic and Healing magic. She wasn't exactly sure how it worked but the only way to really know was to be contracted with the spirit. She gulped and tightened her grip on the platinum key. She had to summon and make a contract with him if she had any chance of beating the rouge mage. She stood up, then raised her key and chanted while swishing the key left and right,

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the Gate! Open, Gate to the Phoenix, Felix!"

Instead of there being a pink poof like with all of her other spirits -or, she should say _ex_ -spirits- the man appeared in a torrent of fire. He had flaming red hair, obsidian eyes and tan skin. He wore a simple dark red tee-shirt and black loose pants that ended at his ankles. He had red wings made entirely out of fire and had no shoes.

"Hey." Was all he said, his voice deep and gravelly,

"Er, Hi! I'm Lucy Heartfillia, and err, I'm going to be using your key for a bit... If that's okay" She squeaked out, her own voice doing nothing to hid how nervous she was. The man in front of her said nothing, only staring at her with an unreadable look.

"H-Hello?"

"What." He said coldly, then continued "Are you just gonna use me like all the other spirits?"

"N-No" She stammered, then looked down

"No. I know who you are, you'll throw me off a ledge like you did with all your other spirits won't you" Felix sneered while glaring daggers into her,

"When you get bored of me, you'll get rid of me in a way so that no one else can use my key. What, next time will you throw your keys in a forest, or maybe somewhere on a mountain" Lucy felt her anger rise at his words. How dare he make assumptions about her when he didn't even know her!

"I didn't do that on purpose. I'm doing all I can to get them back and find a better owner for them and I don't need someone like you trying to stop me. Yes, I know what I did was wrong and _yes_ , I'm a monster because of that, betraying them in that way. But I'm trying my best to make it up to them and I don't need you in my way! If you don't want to help just say so!" Compared to the other speeches she's made in her life, this wasn't her best one but these days she could barely think properly. She heaved softly, her emotions getting the better of her when she yelled and the spirit. Speaking of the spirit, he had still stayed silent, not at all perturbed by her outburst. After a few seconds he spoke again, his voice sounding less hostile than before

"I guess Leo was right..." Lucy cocked her head to the side, confused. He noticed and explained, "Leo and I are friends and even after what you had done he had told me that it was his fault, that he shouldn't have pushed you that far. While I don't agree with him on forgiving you, you've made it clear that it was an accident. I personally don't forgive you but I'll help you until you find Leo and the others, after that our contract will end. I expect you to find a suitable master for us afterwards" He gave her a pointed look. In response, she nodded and said in a quiet voice, "Thank you"

"I'm not doing this for you, girl. I'm doing this for my friends, don't get it twisted" He said rudely, turning up his nose, "Now I'll be leaving, Don't summon me on Mondays and only call me when you're in a fight. I specialise in healing an fire magic" An with those words, he left in a torrent of fire.

When he left, Lucy sighed and slumped down onto the floor, most of her energy leaving her. She had been getting tired a lot recently. It also took a lot of magic to summon him, maybe a bit more than the Zodiac keys. Panting slightly, she got up from the ground and took the next platinum key from the bunch, The Gate of the Water Demon, Cetus. _'That name didn't sound scary in the slightest'_ She thought sarcastically. She then gulped and readied herself, if this was going to go down like the last time. she would have to prepare herself mentally first. "I can do this" She whispered while lifting the key skyward,

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the Gate! Open, Gate of The Water Demon, Cetus!"

This time there was a torrent of water after she chanted those words. When the water vanished into thin air a tall man stood in its place. He had tan skin and dark brown hair with sparkling dark blue eyes. He wore a tight dark blue tee-shirt, loose black pants and he had an earring on his right ear Like Felix, he had no shoes.

"Hi!" He exclaimed and grinned when he saw her, making her blink in confusion. Unlike Felix, he seemed friendly and generally happy to be there. She cleared her throat and said in a polite tone,

"Well, hello I'm-"

"Lucy Heartfillia! I'm Cetus nice to meet you" Her eyes widened at his words, how was he so nice to her even after knowing who she is!

"I use water magic and I don't work on Wednesday and on holidays like Easter and New Years. Other than that you can summon me whenever you like" He said, smile still in place. Lucy was speechless, surely he knew who she was, right?

"I'm a friend of Leo's so that's how I know you. I heard that your really nice" He chuckled at her expression and replied to her unsaid question,

"O-Oh" The blonde stammered, a small blush appearing on her face. Did Loke talk about her to them or something!

"Anyways, your magic is getting low so I'm going to have to go. See Ya!" With that he vanished with the same torrent of water like before.

Lucy sighed and whipped the sweat that was starting to gather on her forehead away, she had forgotten how tiring summoning spirits could be. She took a glance at the other three keys but decided against it. She was already exhausted so it was pointless to try and summon a few more. She would only injure herself. Making her way over to the small single bed she had, the stellar mage took the two keys she made a contract with and traced her thumb over them.

Felix's key looked the same as any other sliver key, except that it was platinum and had a white wing caught on fire as the symbol instead of a simple on. It also had a wing shape on the end.

Cetus' key was the same as Felix's, except the symbol was a leaf with a few small drops of water dripping down from it. It had a leaf shape on the end. This made Lucy confused, normally it would only show the things that had to do with their magic so why a leaf...?

Brushing off her thoughts, she turned off the lamp and got ready for bed. Tomorrow she would ask Cetus about it but for now... She needed sleep.

 _I'm one step closer to finding you, just you wait. After this mission..._

 **END! So happy :) Please review, it means a lot to know what you think about this. See you next week!**

 **Ruby Heartfillia**


	5. The Letter

**Chap 5:** A Letter

 _"Lucy..."_

The blonde bolted upright after hearing that, looking around franticly for the voice's owner. She could of sworn that she had heard Loke's voice but looking around the room she realised that she was all alone. As usual. She sighed, disappointment filling her. Why did she think that he would be here! For all she knew, he was half way across the world by now!

Brushing off her thoughts, she got up and took a shower. She savoured the fact that there was shampoo and body wash. Sure, it was the extremely cheap, smells like nothing and had a terrible texture but other than that, she was happy to have it.

After her long, one hour shower, she decided that it was time to finish summoning the three other keys she was given yesterday then try and find the rouge mage. A rouge mage which she probably didn't have a chance against. Anyways, the blonde made her way over to the coffee table to pick up the next key she should summon.

"What's this..." She mumbled picking up the platinum key with curious eyes. It was the first time she had ever been confused about what a key was. When she was younger, it was her personal mission to learn every key and constellation by heart but he had never seen this key in her life. How would she be able to summon it if she had no idea what it was, let alone what to call it. _'I guess I won't be able to summon this one'_ She thought dejectedly. Suddenly, the key began to shake it her hands, then levitated into the air. Lucy tired to keep her shock inward as she watched her platinum key in fascination. Keys had never done that either...

The wind picked up in the room and the key began to spin in the air. The room shook, and the windows shuttered in response. It felt like a tornado in the making from the wind howling in her ears to the hotel furniture rattling and some even falling over. Covering her ears and crouching behind the couch that was still standing, she peered up at the key with a newfound fear. The spirit who had that key was clearly very powerful, maybe the strongest key she's seen yet. After a few seconds the wind died down and the world around her froze, similar to how it froze when the Celestial Spirit King used his magic.

"State your business, _human_ " A strong feminine voice echoed around the room. Lucy stood up from behind the couch and looked at the woman that now stood before her.

She was tall, beautiful woman with sandy hair and golden eyes. She had pale skin and had a few beauty spots on her face. She wore a long golden dress that seemed to be made of sand and had white flat shoes with two small hourglasses on the edges.

" _Well_ " She reminded her of Aquarius when she spoke, demanding and regal. It made Lucy's breath get caught in her throat.

"I... ar... I-I'm-"

" _Spit it out!_ " Her voice was a mix of a hiss and a roar, making her impatient nature very clear to the mage,

"Lucy Heartfillia!" She burst out, making the older woman look at her in confusion

"I asked what your business was not who you are" She said, this time with no hostility in her voice. Lucy swallowed and continued as calmly as she could

"I'm a celestial spirit mage and was hoping to make a temporary contract with you until the end of the mission" The blonde held her breath when the spirit gave her a glare

"And what makes you think that _you're_ worthy of _me_ " She sneered. Lucy shifted on the spot, unsure what to say. What she said was true... After what she had done why did she think that she had the right to any spirit? _'What am I even doing? Summoning spirits like I-'_

"Hello! Have you been even listening to me! I said yes!" The woman exclaimed,

"H-huh? W-what sorry I wasn-"

"I _said_ that I accept and will make a temporary contract with you" She glared again, annoyed at the fact that she was ignored

"O-Oh.. R-Really?" She stammered

"Yes! _Anyways_ , my name is Cleopatre but you will address me as Cleo, and I use time magic" She said curtly, then continued "I will not be summoned _hors de_ battle and I refuse to come on Wednesdays and Sundays" Cleo looked at Lucy before sighing at her confused look " _Hors de_ means 'outside of' in my language and I am the Gate of the Hourglass. Anything else before I take my leave" The blonde shook her head, "Good, now good day" With those words she disappeared in a flurry of sand.

When she had vanished the world seemed to have started up again, like someone had just pushed the play button on life. With a yelp, Lucy fell to the floor with a sigh,

"I'm glad that's over " A high pitched voice sighed happily to herself. On instinct Lucy screamed and flailed her arms around from her place on the floor,

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" She shrieked, trying to look around for the intruder

"Hey! That's rude you know!" The child like voice reprimanded lightly. When she found the owner of the voice she glared at her. The girl looked around twelve years old and had bright shoulder length purple hair with electric blue highlights. She wore black jeans and a white tank top. Lucy continued to stare at the girl with suspicious eyes,

"What? I'm not a monster ya know?" The girl pouted but quickly brightened up and stuck out her hand to the strange teen

"Hi! I'm Musica, one of the spirits you were gonna make a contract with. And I, unsurprisingly, have Music/Sound magic" The girl continued to grin, even while Lucy looked at her like she was a psychopath.

"A-Ah.. Really, that's... er... That's... Interesting" She finished lamely.

"I know right! I hope you're not a bitch like my other masters, but you look really nice so.." Musica bit her lip in worry. What if she ended up being one of the infamous abusive masters she's heard about. What if she had just dug her own grave by intruding like this. Worry began to bubble up in the young girls stomach. She opened her mouth to apologize but the blonde beat her to it.

"I'll try not to be. Sorry for yelling earlier... But, That doesn't mean you can just appear out of nowhere! What if I was getting changed or something" Lucy sighed and stood up "Look just... Don't pop out of nowhere ok? I'm Lucy Heartfillia" The blonde extended her hand out to Musica for her to shake. Said child looked at her hand, then Lucy's face, then her hand again, before throwing herself into Lucy's arms.

"Eh.." The blonde blinked but after a moment or two, wrapped her arms around the small girls frame. She was a bit confused as to why the spirit hugged her so suddenly but decided to let it slide this on time. She seemed like a really nice girl. A girl that reminded her of a certain dragon slayer she knew.

"A-Are you ok?" Lucy asked quietly. Musica hugged her tighter, then let go and looked up at her.

"Yep!" She grinned, then took a step back and announced happily "I think I already told you but... I'm Musica and I have Music/Sound magic and I'm available every day from 6AM to 11PM and I might come over unannounced, so watch out" She snapped her fingers and waved "See Ya" with that she disappeared in a pink poof.

Lucy blinked and looked around her room again. She was alone, finally. She sighed, relieved at the break. She looked at the final key then shook her head to herself. She'll summon her after breakfast.

The blonde was about to leave her room, when she heard a knock on the door. She answered with a tired smile and was surprised to see a young girl she had never seen before. The child had short blonde hair like her own and sparkling blue eyes.

"Er... Excuse me, Are you Lucy Heartfillia?" She asked timidly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Lucy nodded and gave the girl a reassuring smile,

"Yeah, do you need anything?"

"N-no!... Well, not exactly, there's a letter for you"

"For me?"

"Ye-Yeah" She threw a letter at her and slammed the door shut,

"OW! What the-" Lucy narrowed her eyes at the envelope and watched it bounce of her and fall to the ground. It reminded her of the parcel she had received a few days ago for some reason. She picked it up and stared at it. The simple white letter had a black stamp with an unknown symbol on it. On the front it had in cursive, the address of the hotel and her name on it. It worried her a bit because no one knew that she was on a mission in the first place so how did they know her address? Brushing off her thoughts, her ripped open the letter and read it.

 _Dear the Bearer,_

 _If you have received ring with a blue gem in the near past I advise you to discard it immediately. Having this ring in your possession will put you in grave danger. I'm writing this letter to warn you. There are many people who are out to get this ring along with other rings similar to this for reasons I cannot disclose here. I would've liked to meet with you but my time is almost up. Hide this ring somewhere safe or get rid of it as soon as you read this. Don't bother trying to destroy it because it's indestructible. Hide it in a remote location if you can. I have to cut this letter short but if you haven't received a ring in the near past, feel free to discard this letter._

 _The Keeper_

"What...?" Lucy mumbled, then reread the short letter. There was nothing else on it. The rest of the page was blank and there was no return address on it. What was she supposed to do with it? The blonde knew exactly what the person was talking about. A few days ago she had received a ring with a blue gem on it. But... How did this unknown person who didn't even know her name knew that she had received a ring a couple of days ago!?

Lucy sighed and put down the letter on the table and ran her fingers through her hair, there was no use thinking about this too much. There was no real danger in her having the ring and it was probably just a prank or something. She grabbed the keys and put them in her pocket. She had a mission to do and couldn't dwell on something like this. After the mission, she'll try to make sense of it.

 **Done :) Please review and tell me what you think, I kinda cut it short but it was getting a bit too long so I had to, sorry. Next chapter will be Lucy finishing her mission and all that good stuff! See ya next time :D**


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